This is a collection of news about border issues, particularly those seen from Arizona and regarding the right to keep and bear arms. Sources often include Mexican media. It's often interesting to see how different the view is from the south.
If you have comments or questions drop a line to (the name of this blog)(a)knoxcomm.com

According to Agent Spencer Tippets of the Yuma Sector Public Affairs Office, agents patrolling on all-terrain vehicles detected a group of six suspected drug smugglers traversing the desert south of mile marker 96 on Interstate 8.

"In that area, the interstate is their destination," Tippets said. "They will hide there until a load vehicle comes and picks them up."

Agents who were driving without their lights approached the group and found them to be in possession of 191 pounds of marijuana valued at $95,500.

"Although it's dark and they can't be seen, the smugglers can still hear them," Tippets said.

Later that same morning, agents patrolling near Gila Bend observed a group of five individuals traveling on foot through the desert wearing large, rectangular backpacks.

Tippets said the agents, who were on ATVs, intercepted the subjects and discovered their backpacks were filled with 216 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $108,000.

The marijuana from both seizures had an estimated street value in excess of $203,500.

Tippets said the suspects, who were Mexican nationals, and the marijuana were turned over to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office because the apprehensions took place outside Yuma County.

Judge sees flight risk for 7 held in cartel bribe caseMarch 20, 2012 11:58 PMhttp://www.themonitor.com/news/cartel-59567-held-sees.htmlMadeline BuckleyThe Brownsville HeraldAll seven men accused in a bribery scheme meant to ensure a Gulf Cartel member's safe passage to Mexico upon his release from U.S. prison waived a preliminary hearing Tuesday and will remain federal custody until trial.

At a detention hearing Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Morgan ordered each man held without bail, citing flight risk and danger to the community due to long criminal records for some of them and strong ties to Mexico.

The case revolves around alleged Gulf Cartel member Juan Carlos de la Cruz Reyna, 37, who was sentenced in 2009 to 30 months in U.S. federal prison for threatening to assault and murder U.S. agents.

The attorney for de la Cruz, Reyna Reynaldo Garza III, said he cannot comment on the case further than saying the government has not yet fully disclosed its evidence to the defense."We're still in the process of investigating the case," Garza, who represented de la Cruz in the 2009 case, said.

In addition to de la Cruz, the men accused of conspiring to bribe a federal agent are Julio Torres, 39, of Brownsville; Carlos Melo, 38, of Brownsville; Adalberto Nunez-Venegas, 39, a Mexican national; Gaspar Montes Martinez, 41, of Harlingen; Juan Trejo Venegas, 33, of Matamoros; and Jose C. Venegas, 36, of Brownsville.

A criminal complaint alleges that the men had varying roles in offering an undercover agent posing as a corrupt Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent about $1 million to release de la Cruz Reyna into the custody of Gulf Cartel members rather than Mexican law enforcement upon his deportation.

He finishes his sentence in the earlier case later this month. According to the complaint, the man feared facing further charges in Mexico and also feared being kidnapped by a rival cartel.

The men went before Morgan individually, and all the attorneys but Garza argued for a reasonable bond for their clients, which the judge denied.

Note: all this stuff ends up being inter-related. Locals will remember the rumor about El Chapo having a residence in the Tanque Verde area

Under state law having and growing marijuana is legal for certain patients and caregivers. But it's a valuable commodity in the illegal world.

Now critics of medical marijuana see an incident Sunday night as example of legal marijuana pulling people in contact with the illegal world of dangerous criminals.

Before Arizona voters approved medical marijuana, law enforcement warned medical marijuana facilities would attract crime. Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall was one of them."It was a big concern and clearly it was a valid one."

It's not 100 percent clear if the bandits who invaded the house knew medical marijuana was grown there with a valid license from the state health department.

But when they busted into the home in a quiet Tanque Verde neighborhood, they came away with marijuana, cash and a cell phone that deputies traced to find two of the three suspects.

Barbara LaWall says, "This has happened throughout the country wherever marijuana has become medicalized there have been all kinds of thefts, robberies, strong arm robberies, armed robberies, home invasions, etc."

Kimberly Haslett of the Southwest Arizona Patient Alliance does not see a criminal trend here: "We have 1300 caregivers in the state right now and this is the first reported home invasion so I don't think they are a magnet for crime."

Haslett questions whether the home invaders knew they were busting into a house where marijuana was grown under license.

She says caregivers licensed to grow usually keep a low profile and don't advertise what they have.

KGUN9 reporter Craig Smith asked her: "What I'm wondering is if there's something about how the caregivers become known that would allow someone seeking marijuana for illegal purposes to find them?"

Haslett: I don't see a correlation in that at all because the only people that know who the caregiver is should be the patient and the Arizona Department of Health Services."

The state health department does publish figures showing how many caregivers are licensed to grow medical marijuana. The latest figures show 72 for Pima County and the highest concentration--12--- is in the Tanque Verde area where the home invasion happened.

PHOENIX (CBS5) -Maricopa County sheriff's deputies caught one of two suspects involved in a high-speed chase on Interstate 10 near Dysart Road in the West Valley on Tuesday morning, but what they found inside the vehicle was more surprising.

Acting on a tip, deputies gave chase after spotting a gold Chevrolet Tahoe that the suspects were driving near State Route 85 and I-10, according to reports.

The chase led to Dysart Road just south of the interstate and the suspects, who were believed to be armed, jumped from the vehicle, officers said.

Oscar Luna was caught trying to hide near a shopping center parking lot. A second suspect ran across both sides of the I-10 heading north into a field and is still on the loose.

Inside the Tahoe, the tip proved correct when deputies discovered 500 pounds of marijuana, a 9mm gun and a 50-round magazine.

"The fact that we found the 9mm gun in the truck is promising, there's no evidence of any other ammunition and any other weapons, so the subject's possibility of being dangerous, being armed and dangerous is very small at this point," said Sgt. Brandon Jones with MCSO.

The outstanding suspect was described as Hispanic, about 5'8" tall and wearing a red shirt and blue jeans.

Authorities continue to look for a man who got away after a high- speed chase on Interstate 10 Tuesday morning, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

Shortly after 7 a.m., two men in a gold Chevrolet Tahoe refused to stop for deputies after a concerned citizen notified police the vehicle might contain marijuana.

The chase started near Arizona 85 and Interstate 10, according to Sgt. Brandon Jones of the Sheriff's Office. The chase continued onto the I-10. Two people in the Tahoe jumped out of the vehicle near Dysart Road after blowing a tire and took off on foot, Jones said.

Inside the Tahoe, deputies found 500 pounds of marijuana and a 9mm semi-automatic handgun with a 50-round magazine, Jones said.

One of the men, Oscar Luna, 21, was taken into custody on suspicion of drug running, and he told authorities he was in the country illegally, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The Sheriff's Office along with Avondale and Goodyear police departments searched for the second man for two hours, but did not locate him. The Sheriff's Office is now following leads to attempt to locate the second man.